{"id":4616,"date":"2019-04-30T21:14:59","date_gmt":"2019-05-01T04:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianethicstoday.com\/wp\/?p=4616"},"modified":"2022-02-12T14:20:19","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T21:20:19","slug":"95-theses-luthers-original","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianethicstoday.com\/wp\/95-theses-luthers-original\/","title":{"rendered":"95 Theses (Luther`s Original)"},"content":{"rendered":"
95 Theses<\/span><\/strong>
Dr. Martin Luther<\/em><\/span>
Castle Church in Wittenberg <\/p>\n
 <\/div>\n
Out of love and concern for the truth <\/p>\n
 <\/div>\n
1.    <\/span><\/span>When our Lord and Master <\/p>\n
2.    <\/span><\/span>The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance <\/p>\n
3.    <\/span><\/span>Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in one`s heart; for such repentance is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh.<\/span><\/div>\n
4.    <\/span><\/span>As long as hatred of self abides (i.e. true inward repentance) the penalty of sin abides <\/p>\n
5.    <\/span><\/span>The pope has neither the will nor the power to remit any penalties beyond those imposed either at his own discretion or by canon law.<\/span><\/div>\n
6.    <\/span><\/span>The pope himself cannot remit guilt <\/p>\n
7.    <\/span><\/span>God never remits guilt to anyone without <\/p>\n
8.    <\/span><\/span>The penitential canons apply only to men who are still alive <\/p>\n
9.    <\/span><\/span>Accordingly <\/p>\n
10.<\/span>It is a wrongful act <\/p>\n
11.<\/span>When canonical penalties were changed and made to apply to purgatory <\/p>\n
12.<\/span>In former days <\/p>\n
13.<\/span>Death puts an end to all the claims of the Church; even the dying are already dead to the canon laws <\/p>\n
14.<\/span>Defective piety or love in a dying person is necessarily accompanied by great fear <\/p>\n
15.<\/span>This fear or horror is sufficient in itself <\/p>\n
16.<\/span>There seems to be the same difference between hell <\/p>\n
17.<\/span>Of a truth <\/p>\n
18.<\/span>Moreover <\/p>\n
19.<\/span>Nor does it seem proved to be always the case that they are certain and assured of salvation <\/p>\n
20.<\/span>Therefore the pope <\/p>\n
21.<\/span>Hence those who preach indulgences are in error when they say that a man is absolved and saved from every penalty by the pope`s indulgences.<\/span><\/div>\n
22.<\/span>Indeed <\/p>\n
23.<\/span>If plenary remission could be granted to anyone at all <\/p>\n
24.<\/span>It must therefore be the case that the major part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of relief from penalty.<\/span><\/div>\n
25.<\/span>The same power as the pope exercises in general over purgatory is exercised in particular by every single bishop in his bishopric and priest in his parish.<\/span><\/div>\n
26.<\/span>The pope does excellently when he grants remission to the souls in purgatory on account of intercessions made on their behalf <\/p>\n
27.<\/span>There is no divine authority for preaching that the soul flies out of the purgatory immediately the money clinks in the bottom of the chest.<\/span><\/div>\n
28.<\/span>It is certainly possible that when the money clinks in the bottom of the chest avarice and greed increase; but when the church offers intercession <\/p>\n
29.<\/span>Who knows whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed in view of what is said of St. Severinus and St. Pascal? (Note: Paschal I <\/p>\n
30.<\/span>No one is sure of the reality of his own contrition <\/p>\n
31.<\/span>One who bona fide buys indulgence is a rare as a bona fide penitent man <\/p>\n
32.<\/span>All those who believe themselves certain of their own salvation by means of letters of indulgence <\/p>\n
33.<\/span>We should be most carefully on our guard against those who say that the papal indulgences are an inestimable divine gift <\/p>\n
34.<\/span>For the grace conveyed by these indulgences relates simply to the penalties of the sacramental "satisfactions" decreed merely by man.<\/span><\/div>\n
35.<\/span>It is not in accordance with Christian doctrines to preach and teach that those who buy off souls <\/p>\n
36.<\/span>Any Christian whatsoever <\/p>\n
37.<\/span>Any true Christian whatsoever <\/p>\n
38.<\/span>Yet the pope`s remission and dispensation are in no way to be despised <\/p>\n
39.<\/span>It is very difficult <\/p>\n
40.<\/span>A truly contrite sinner seeks out <\/p>\n
41.<\/span>Papal indulgences should only be preached with caution <\/p>\n
42.<\/span>Christians should be taught that the pope does not at all intend that the purchase of indulgences should be understood as at all comparable with the works of mercy.<\/span><\/div>\n
43.<\/span>Christians should be taught that one who gives to the poor <\/p>\n
44.<\/span>Because <\/p>\n
45.<\/span>Christians should be taught that he who sees a needy person <\/p>\n
46.<\/span>Christians should be taught that <\/p>\n
47.<\/span>Christians should be taught that they purchase indulgences voluntarily <\/p>\n
48.<\/span>Christians should be taught that <\/p>\n
49.<\/span>Christians should be taught that the pope`s indulgences are useful only if one does not rely on them <\/p>\n
50.<\/span>Christians should be taught that <\/p>\n
51.<\/span>Christians should be taught that the pope would be willing <\/p>\n
52.<\/span>It is vain to rely on salvation by letters of indulgence <\/p>\n
53.<\/span>Those are enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid the word of God to be preached at all in some churches <\/p>\n
54.<\/span>The word of God suffers injury if <\/p>\n
55.<\/span>The pope cannot help taking the view that if indulgences (very small matters) are celebrated by one bell <\/p>\n
56.<\/span>The treasures of the church <\/p>\n
57.<\/span>That these treasures are not temporal are clear from the fact that many of the merchants do not grant them freely <\/p>\n
58.<\/span>Nor are they the merits of Christ and the saints <\/p>\n
59.<\/span>St. Laurence said that the poor were the treasures of the church <\/p>\n
60.<\/span>We do not speak rashly in saying that the treasures of the church are the keys of the church <\/p>\n
61.<\/span>For it is clear that the power of the pope suffices <\/p>\n
62.<\/span>The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.<\/span><\/div>\n
63.<\/span>It is right to regard this treasure as most odious <\/p>\n
64.<\/span>On the other hand <\/p>\n
65.<\/span>Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets which <\/p>\n
66.<\/span>The treasures of the indulgences are the nets which to-day they use to fish for the wealth of men.<\/span><\/div>\n
67.<\/span>The indulgences <\/p>\n
68.<\/span>Nevertheless <\/p>\n
69.<\/span>Bishops and curates <\/p>\n
70.<\/span>But they are under a much greater obligation to watch closely and attend carefully lest these men preach their own fancies instead of what the pope commissioned.<\/span><\/div>\n
71.<\/span>Let him be anathema and accursed who denies the apostolic character of the indulgences.<\/span><\/div>\n
72.<\/span>On the other hand <\/p>\n
73.<\/span>In the same way <\/p>\n
74.<\/span>It is much more in keeping with his views to excommunicate those who use the pretext of indulgences to plot anything to the detriment of holy love and truth.<\/span><\/div>\n
75.<\/span>It is foolish to think that papal indulgences have so much power that they can absolve a man even if he has done the impossible and violated the mother of God.<\/span><\/div>\n
76.<\/span>We assert the contrary <\/p>\n
77.<\/span>When it is said that not even St. Peter <\/p>\n
78.<\/span>We assert the contrary <\/p>\n
79.<\/span>It is blasphemy to say that the insignia of the cross with the papal arms are of equal value to the cross on which Christ died.<\/span><\/div>\n
80.<\/span>The bishops <\/p>\n
81.<\/span>This unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult for learned men to guard the respect due to the pope against false accusations <\/p>\n
82.<\/span>They ask <\/p>\n
83.<\/span>Again: Why should funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continue to be said? And why does not the pope repay <\/p>\n
84.<\/span>Again: Surely this is a new sort of compassion <\/p>\n
85.<\/span>Again: Why are the penitential canon laws <\/p>\n
86.<\/span>Again: since the pope`s income to-day is larger than that of the wealthiest of wealthy men <\/p>\n
87.<\/span>Again: What does the pope remit or dispense to people who <\/p>\n
88.<\/span>Again: Surely a greater good could be done to the church if the pope were to bestow these remissions and dispensations <\/p>\n
89.<\/span>What the pope seeks by indulgences is not money <\/p>\n
90.<\/span>These questions are serious matters of conscience to the laity. To suppress them by force alone <\/p>\n
91.<\/span>If therefore <\/p>\n
92.<\/span>Away <\/p>\n
93.<\/span>Hail <\/p>\n
94.<\/span>Christians should be exhorted to be zealous to follow Christ <\/p>\n
95.<\/span>And let them thus be more confident of entering heaven through many tribulations rather than through a false assurance of peace.<\/span><\/div>\n
Source<\/span><\/strong>:<\/span><\/div>\n
    \n
  1. en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Ninety-Five_Theses<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. www.spurgeon.org\/~phil\/\/history\/95theses.htm<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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